#MakingAStand: Another daughter missing, another heartbroken family

Yusra Hussien is the latest of up to sixty young Muslim girls who may have been radicalised here in the UK and then travelled abroad perhaps to join the so-called Islamic State. We have utmost sympathy for Safiya Hussien, the mother of Yusra, who has appealed for her to return home.There are now a growing number of bewildered parents across the country facing the same anguish. Victims of terrorists and extremists peddling a distorted version of our faith. We are sadly aware of the devious ways in which these radicalisers operate trying to give young women a sense of purpose. But these are falsehoods that end in a nightmare.This is why we have launched #makingastand – to make our communities more resilient to terrorists, to give mothers the confidence to oppose their arguments and to stop young girls like Yusra even considering joining the barbaric IS.There is now a real urgency to our campaign. To avoid more families being affected by this heartbreaking situation. Women understand that only by actively countering extremism can we protect, support and divert vulnerable teenagers from those who would destroy their future.Radicalisation and recruitment comes from many sources and individuals. We must be vigilant in challenging the ideology of violence and rhetoric of extremism that our children are exposed to. In this way, we will push back against the supporters of the so-called Islamic State.

I urge all women to join us in declaring our abhorrence of the message peddled by these preachers of hate who are destroying our communities, and are now preying on our daughters as well as our sons. Show your support by tweeting using the #MakingAStand hashtag.